The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
help bring to light the importance of eating fruits and
vegetables with their website Fruits and Veggies Matter.
Check the nutritional content of your favorites; look for
different varieties; and search for recipes by ingredient. Try
the fun, interactive Analyze My Plate
tool, which lets users design their meal according to cups of
fruits and vegetables, total calories, and total fat content.
The form at the top of the homepage will show how many fruits
and vegetables are needed per person per day according to age,
sex, and level of physical activity. Most importantly, encourage
your patrons to read 30 Ways in 30 Days to Stretch
Your Fruit and Vegetable Budget –
to help keep fruits and veggies on everyone’s table.

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Friday Facts is a production of the Indiana State Library

Come
out and enjoy the
Hoosier Outdoor Experience. This free event, sponsored
by the Indiana
Department of Natural Resources and the Natural
Resources Foundation, will take place on September 26-27 at Fort Harrison
State Park. Outdoor enthusiasts will be able to mix in
some biking with hiking, fishing, target shooting, and other activities to
be enjoyed by everyone. This event will be two fun-filled days
to enjoy the great outdoors and learn about outdoor ethics &
responsibility and obtain educational opportunities focusing on
natural resource conservation. The opportunity to learn about
the environment and conservation has never been so much fun!
Please visit the website for more information
about the event or to register. Parking,
admissions, activities, demonstrations, and seminars are free to
the public.

Did
you know that one person dies of rabies every ten minutes?
Rabies in humans is not common in Indiana, or even in the United
States. However, this fatal disease is a huge concern for
people around the world. September 28 is World Rabies Day
2009. The mission of World Rabies Day
is to raise awareness of the effects of rabies in humans and
animals, educate people as to rabies prevention and to
eventually eliminate it globally at its source. Rabies is
spread by saliva – usually in the form of an animal bite. The
animals that most commonly spread the disease in Indiana are
bats, skunks, foxes, coyotes and raccoons. You’ll notice that
all of these animals are mammals – you can’t get rabies from a
bird or a reptile. Domestic animals such as dogs and cats are
also at risk; however, with the recent increase in pet
vaccinations, infection from pets has decreased dramatically in
Indiana. Unfortunately, this is not the case in other parts of
the world. Infection by dog bite is still one of the leading
causes of rabies in children in developing countries.

Rabies is fatal. Once a human or animal shows
symptoms, they will die, with very few exceptions.
However, rabies is also 100% preventable! Those who work in
professions that regularly come into contact with animals, such
as veterinarians and wildlife workers, usually receive
vaccinations against rabies. Vaccinations are also available
for those who do not work in these high-risk professions, but
are administered after exposure to the disease. If you are
bitten by an animal you suspect might be rabid, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control recommends seeking a physician as soon as you
can. The Indiana State Department of Health has good tips on how
to proceed once exposed to rabies. They’re also a good source
for Indiana-specific rabies information. The easiest ways to
prevent rabies are simple – stay away from wild animals, stay
away from animals behaving unusually and get your pets
vaccinated.

In
2008, 43 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older were single
or unmarried, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s
Families and Living Arrangements, cited in this month’s
Unmarried and Single Americans Week Facts for Features.
Many patrons fit this description, and they are not alone. There
were approximately 95.9 million unmarried Americans in 2008. If
you are a parent who is not currently married, you were one of
11.6 million in 2008. See the poster presentation
The Complex Living Arrangements of Children and Their Unmarried
Parents for more information about the rise of children
living with unmarried parents, which was created using data from
the 2008 Current Population Survey, but does not necessarily
express the views of the Census Bureau. Additionally, in 2008,
close to half of all households (52.9 million) in the U.S. were
headed by unmarried men or women.

Do
you or your patrons want to win $1500? How do you feel about
homeland security? The U.S. Center for Homeland Defense and
Security is holding its third annual essay contest. The
question, to be answered in an essay under five pages long, is
“How can, or should, the United States make homeland security a
more layered, networked and resilient endeavor involving all
citizens?” The contest is open to any U.S. citizen and closes
January 31, 2010. The winner will be notified by May 2010. In
addition to the cash prize, the writer of the winning entry will
be invited to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security in
Monterrey, California. For contest details, check out their
website here.